Funding flowing for national offshore energy research center led by UH

Published 3:18 pm, Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Photo: Gerald Herbert, AP

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FILE - In this April 2010 file photo, oil can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, as a large plume of smoke rises from fires on BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. Deep-water drilling is set to resume near the site of the catastrophic BP PLC well blowout that killed 11 workers and caused the nation's largest offshore oil spill five years ago off the coast of Louisiana. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) less

FILE - In this April 2010 file photo, oil can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, as a large plume of smoke rises from fires on BP's Deepwater Horizon ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert, AP

Funding flowing for national offshore energy research center led by UH

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Money from the settlement of the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which dumped millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and killed 11 people, is flowing into Texas -- specifically into Texas universities tasked with finding ways to prevent future catastrophes.

The University of Houston is leading one of two coalitions in the state. UH was selected in January to lead the Subsea Systems Institute, a group of local universities, colleges and NASA. It was a significant victory for a university trying to become a top-tier research institution.

"Through these dedicated financial resources we can now get to work and focus on the research and development needed to protect and revitalize our Gulf Coast and enrich our state's economy impacted by this disaster," Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Commissioner Toby Baker said in a statement.

Total funding will depend on civil penalties levied in court. In Houston, leaders are hoping the money will serve as seed funding to jump-start a nonprofit.

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The Houston coalition will include Rice University, Texas Southern University, Houston Community College, Lone Star College and the Johnson Space Center.

"It ought to be a pretty powerful team, and it's certainly in the right place," said Chuck McConnell, executive director of Rice's Energy and Environment Initiative.

The group will work with companies like Exxon Mobil, Halliburton and Schlumberger to improve deep-sea drilling projects.

"Our vision is to create an institute that is recognized around the world as the undisputed leader in transformative deepwater technology," Ramanan Krishnamoorti, chief energy officer and interim vice president for research and technology transfer at the UH, said in a statement. "We will create, test, and provide the technologies that industry will need in the next five to 10 years."